Table



Aug. 29, 1933. H. MORSE 1,924,953

TABLE Filed Feb. 2. 1932 5 Sheets-Sheet l Aug. 29, 1933. H MORSE 1,924,953

TABLE Filed Feb. 2. 1932 s Sheets-Sheet 2 Snow @1 9.

Aug. 29, 1933. F, MORSE 1,924,953

TABLE Filed Feb. 2. 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 JZJiMamve 2 6| I 7 I I Patented Aug. 29, 1933 UNITED STATES iszisss PATENT GFFEE 6 Claims.

The device forming the subject matter of this application is a table, intended primarily to be used at the bedside, although, of course, capable of being used in other places. The invention aims to provide novel means for raising and lowering the top of the table, to provide novel means for swinging laterally, the wing which is hinged to the top of the table, to provide novel means whereby the wing may be lowered, and to provide novel means for holding the wing securely but releasahly in horizontal alignment with the table top.

It is within the province of the disclosure to improve generally and to enhance the utility of devices of that type to which the invention appertains.

With the above and other objects in view, which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, may be made within the scope of what is claimed, with- 4? out departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings:-

Figure 1 shows, in side elevation, a table constructed in accordance with the invention, parts being in section;

Figure 2 is a section taken approximately on the line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a section taken approximately on the line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a section taken approximately on the line 4-4 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a front elevation of the table, the pedestal being broken away;

Figure 6 is a section taken approximately on the line 66 of Figure 8;

Figure 7 is a fragmental elevation, with parts in section, showing a sustaining track for the foldable leaf, and attendant parts; and

Figure 8 is a bottom plan, wherein parts are broken away, the pedestal being in section.

The device forming the subject matter of this application comprises a support, which may be a hollow pedestal, marked by the numeral 1, and shown clearly in Figure 1. The pedestal 1 has legs 2 and 3, the leg 3 being somewhat longer than the other legs to give the device stability, the long leg 3 being located beneath a wing or leaf 20 which extends laterally from the fixed table top 17, the construction and relation of the parts 20 and 17 being made manifest hereinafter. At the top of the pedestal 1 there is a guide 4,

and, intermediate its ends, the pedestal 1 has an internal transverse guide 5.

A standard 6 is mounted for vertical adjustment in the guides l and 5. The standard 8 hasa laterally projecting bearing '7, shown in Figures l and 2, and in this bearing, a vertical feed screw 8 is journaled for rotation. The feed screw 8 extends downwardly through the guide within the pedestal 1, and is threaded at 9 in the guide 5. A bevelled pinion 9 is secured to the upper end of the feed screw 8, and is located above the bearing 7. A collar 11 is secured to the feed screw 3 and is locat d below the bearing 7. Thus, although the feed screw 8 is journaled for rotation in the bearing '7, it is, nevertheless, held against longitudinal movement in the bearing and with respect to the standard 6. A hand Wheel 12 is supported at i l, for rotation, on the upper end portion of the standard 6, and to the spokes of the hand wheel 12 is secured a bevelled gear 15, to be seen in Figure 2, and meshing with the bevelled pinion 10 on the upper end of the feed screw 8.

A bracket 16 is secured to the standard 6 and extends inwardly therefrom, as Figure 1 will disclose. The bracket 16 is secured to a fixed top 17. The top 17, as can be seen in Figure 8, has an opening 18 in one end, for the accommodation of the hand wheel 12. The top 17 is further connected to the standard 6 by lateral braces 19 which are shown best in Figures 5 and 8.

At the inner edge of the fixed top 1'? there is a downwardly foldable leaf or wing 20, which, when in use, as shown in Figure l, is located in the same plane as the top 17. A depending cross piece 21 (Figures 4, 1 and 8) is provided, and is connected by hinges'22 with the wing 20. A pivot element 53, shown in Figure l, connects the cross piece 21, at a point half-way between its ends, with the upper part of the bracket 16 that is carried by the standard 6, the construction being such that the wing 20 can be tilted from side to side, as the dotted line showing of Figure 5 will indicate. The cross piece 21 has a depending arm 23 (Figures 4, 7, l and 3) intermediate its ends. The lower end of a vertically -movable brace 24 is pivoted at 25 to the lower end of the arm 23, the upper end of the brace being pivoted at 26 to a slide 27 (Figures'fi and 4).

The slide 27 is mounted for right line reciprocation in a slotted track 28, secured to the underside of the wing 20. Figure 6 shows that a casing 29 is let into-the wing 20, above the inner end of the track 28. A latch lever 30 is fulcruined' intermediate its ends in the casing 29, as shown at 31,

At its inner end, the latch lever 30 has an upwardly extended button 31, which is accessible, from above the wing 20, through registering holes in the wing and in the upper part of the casing 29. At its outer end, the latch lever 30 is provided with a depending finger 32, extended downwardly through a hole in the top of the track 28, and adapted to engage the outer end of the slide 27. The lever 30 is swung to the position of Figure 6, with the button 31' raised, and with the outer end of the lever resting on the top of the track 28, through the instrumentality of a spring 33 of any desired kind, secured to the top of the casing 29 and bearing on that part of the lever 30 which carries the finger 32.

The numeral 34 designates a vertical, arcuate track, having outwardly extended arms 35, which, as Figs. 8 and 1 will show, are secured to the lower surface of the fixed table top 17, the arms extending backwardly to the braces 19. The track 34, therefore, is held at right angles to the top 17, and in a depending position with respect to the top. The arm 23 on the cross piece 21 slides in contact with the track 34, as can be seen in Figure '7, and the intermediate, lower part of the track 34 is secured to the bottom portion of the bracket 16. The arm 23 on the cross piece 21 has an angular finger 36 which engages over the upper end of the track 34, to hold the arm 23 against the track, as the arm swings laterally, when the table top 1'7 is adjusted to and from the dotted line position of Figure 5.

A vertical gear segment 37 is secured to the cross piece 21 and to its depending arm 23 and is located within the contour of the track 34. The gear segment 3'? is engaged by a pinion 38, secured to a vertical shaft 39. The shaft 39 is journaled in the bottom part of the bracket 16, and in a bearing 40 (Figure 1) on the upper portion of the bracket. On the lower end of the shaft 39, a hand wheel 41 is secured. The shaft 39 not only can turn in the lower part of the bracket 16, and in the bearing 40, but, as well, has a slight vertical, longitudinal sliding movement in those parts. Around the lower end of the shaft 39 is placed a compression spring 42, abutting at its upper end against the bracket 16, and at its lower end against the hand wheel 41. There is a stop 43 (Figure l) on the shaft 39, and this stop limits the downward movement of the shaft 39 under the action of the spring 42. A keeper post 43, which is rigid, is erected on the lower part of the bracket 16, the post 43' having an inwardly extended finger 44, adapted to engage the teeth of the pinion 38 on the vertical shaft 39. The pinion 38 is wide enough so that it will always remain in mesh with the gear segment 3'7, regardless of whether the pinion 38 is in the position of Figure 1, or whether the pinion has been raised, by the longitudinal movement of the shaft 39, until the pinion no longer is engaged by the finger 44 on the keeper post 43.

The top 1'7 and the wing 20, in the position of Figure 1, can be raised and lowered by turning the hand wheel 12. The bevelled gear 15 on the hand wheel 12 cooperates with the bevelled pinion 10 on the feed screw 8, to impart rotation to the feed screw, and because the feed screw is threaded at 9 into the guide 5 of the pedestal 1, the standard 6 will be raised and lowered, carrying with it the top 17 and the wing 20.

If the operator wishes to swing the wing 20 into a depending position, so that the top 17 can be used alone, he presses down on the button 31 of Figure 6, thereby tilting the latch lever 30 on eegess its fulcrum 31, and withdrawing the finger 32 of the latch lever from engagement with the slide 2'7, against the action of the spring 33. The wing 20 then swings downwardly into a depending position, the slide 27 moving forwardly in the track 28, toward the outer edge of the wing 20. The wing 20 can be swung up again into the horizontal position of Figure 1, and when the slide 2'? has arrived at the position of Figure 6, the finger 32 of the latch lever 30 will snap automatically into engagement with the forward or outer end of the slide. Note bevel 60, Fig. 6.

Suppose that the wing 20 is in the horizontal position of Figure 1, and that the operator wishes to tilt the wing into the incline position shown in dotted line in Figure 5. The shaft 39 is pushed upwardly, the spring 42 being compressed. When the shaft 39 is pushed upwardly, the pinion 38 on the shaft is disengaged from the finger 44 of the keeper post 43. This sets the shaft 39 free for rotation, by means of the hand wheel 41, the pinion 38 still in mesh with the gear segment 37, which is fixed to the cross piece 21, it being recalled that the cross piece is attached to the wing 28 by means of the hinges 22. When the 100 shaft 39 is rotated, the pinion 38 on the shaft, meshing with the gear segment 37, tilts the wing 20 sidewise, into the dotted position of Figure 5, for instance, with the pivot elements 53 of Fig ure 1 as a center of swinging movement.

When the operator releases the shaft 39, and lets it move downwardly under the action of the spring 42, the pinion 38 on the shaft is carried into engagement with the finger 44 on the keeper post 43, as own in Figures 1 and 3, and, thus, the shaft 39 is held against rotation, with the pinion 38 held in mesh with the gear segment 3'2. Therefore, the wing 20 is held in any posi tion to which. it may have been tilted laterally, as shown in dotted line in Figure 5. The cooperation between the parts 44 and 38 of Figure 3, of course, serves to hold the wing 20 against lateral tilting movement on the pivot element 53, with the wing horizontal, and in the same plane with the fixed top 17.

Noting Figure 1 in conjunction with Figure '7 it will be obvious that when a weight is placed on the leaf 20, the downward thrust of the weight is carried into the brace 24, and from the brace 24 to the arm 23 of Figure '7, the arm 23 bearing 125 against the arcuate track 34, the track 34 carrying the thrust into the lower part of the frame 16, and the lower part of the frame 16 transferring the thrustto the standard 6. The wing 20- and the weight on it, therefore, are adequately supported, and at the same time provision is made whereby the leaf can be tilted sidewise, about a horizontal axis, represented by the pivot element 53 of Figure 1.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. A table of the class described comprising a standard, a top carried by the standard, a wing cooperating with the edge of the top, means for mounting the wing for hinged downward swinging movement with respect to the top, means for sustaining the wing releasably against downward swinging movement, means for mounting the wing for lateral tilting movement about a horizontal axis, and means for locking the wing against lateral tilting movement; in combina tion with a pedestal wherein the standard is vertically slidable, a feed screw held against longitudinal movement on the standard, and journaled thereon, the feed screw being threaded into 150 the pedestal, intermeshing bevelled pinions, one of which is secured to the feed screw, the other of which is journaled on the standard, and means for rotating the last-specified pinion.

2. A table comprising a support, a wing, means for pivoting the wing to the support for lateral tilting movement about a substantially horizontal axis, a gear segment carried by the wing and disposed about said axis, a shaft, a pinion on the shaft and meshing with the segment, and a keeper on the support and engaging the pinion to hold the pinion against turning and to hold the wing against tilting, the shaft being longitudinally movable on the support to disengage the pinion from the keeper, the relative widths of the pinion and the segment being such that they will remain in mesh when the pinion is free from the keeper, and the shaft being rotatable on the support to tilt the wing, when the pinion is free from the keeper.

3. A table constructed as set forth in claim 2, in combination with spring means for moving the shaft longitudinally, to engage the pinion with the keeper.

4. A table comprising a wing, a member whereunto the wing is hinged for downward swinging movement, a support, means for pivoting said member to the support for lateral tilting movement, along with the wing, about a substantially horizontal axis, a gear segment carried by said member and disposed about said axis, a brace pivoted to said member, a slide pivoted to the brace, means for guiding the slide for movement along the wing, means for latching the slide to the wing, a gear segment carried by the wing and disposed about said axis, a shaft, a pinion on the shaft and meshing with the segment, and a keeper on the support and engaging the pinion to hold the pinion against turning and to hold the wing against tilting, the shaft being longitudinally movable on the support to disengage the pinion from the keeper, the relative widths of the pinion and the segment being such that they will remain in mesh when the pinion is free from the keeper, and the shaft being rotatable on the support to tilt the wing about said axis, when the pinion is free from the keeper.

5. In a table of the class described, a standard, a top on the standard, a frame under the top and connecting the top with the standard, an arcuate track secured to the top and to the frame, a member pivoted to the frame for tilting movement about a substantially horizontal axis, said member being provided with a depending arm sliding along the track, a wing cooperating with the top and hinged to said member for downwardswinging movement, and a releasable brace connection between the arm and the Wing, the brace connection, the arm, the track, and the frame, in the order stated, constituting means for transferring downward thrust of a weight on the wing, to the standard.

6. A table of the class described, comprising a standard, a top carried by the standard, a wing cooperating with the edge of the top, means for mounting the wing for hinged downward swinging movement with respect to the top, means for sustaining the wing releasably against downward swinging movement, means for mounting the wing for lateral tilting movement about a horizontal axis, a keeper supported by the standard, and mechanism for tilting the wing laterally when a part of said mechanism is clear of the keeper,

said part of said mechanism being movable to engage the keeper thereby to hold the wing against tilting laterally.

HOMER F. MORSE. 

